The Right Cure
by Leta McGotor
Summary: When Severus is in charge for the Hospital Wing,l there mis an emergency he never would have expected. Is he able to find out what has happened and to rescue her life? SSMM
1. About Disagreement, Chocolate and Plants

**The Right Cure**

Author: Leta McGotor

Chapter 1: **About Disagreement, Chocolate and Plants**

„Can you tell my why I always have to be the victim? Why not someone else, like Sprout or Flitwick?"

"You are most capable of such things."

"And Sprout not? You are going to tell me that she knows nothing about herbs, aren't you?"

"That were not my words, Severus."

"No, but your meaning." Severus was striding up and down in Minerva's office. Hardly ten minutes ago he had received a letter from her, telling him, that Poppy Pomfrey wouldn't be in the castle over the weekend and that he, Severus, had to take over her job for the four days of her absence. Although it were Christmas Holidays and most of the students were at home, the prospect to be in charge for the rest of them didn't suit him, naturally.

"Severs, just these four days. Where is your problem? There are hardly any students around, no one is in the Hospital Wing yet and there are no hints that someone will come in this span of time. I don't understand why you have such a problem with it." Minerva answered impatiently. Why couldn't he just accept it? He was not able to change the situation, no matter how long he tried.

"I see that you have none, so why don't you take care of that?" He spat furiously.

"Because you are the best for that job. You are the only one, who knows exactly what to do and how the herbs and all interact with each other…"

"You are not serious. You only look for reasons why you can have a lazy weekend and I not. But I remind you, that, of course you are not a master with herbs and potions, you are more than capable of handling medicinal things as well."

"Well…"

"That is exactly the case, isn't it, Minerva? So why did you choose me?"

"I told you…"

"Oh, you told me…" He imitated her.

"Severus, if there is an emergency I will of course help you…"

"I'm deeply grateful for that." He bowed a little in front of her. Minerva sighed. "Why don't you do the job on your own then? Why do you need me?"

"Albus isn't around, either. I have some things, which I have to prepare for the Ministry before he comes back, important things, Severus. I can't ignore them."

"And Sprout?"

"She told me this morning that she has some plants called…well… called something I can't remember yet and she has to keep an eye on that before it comes to a catastrophe in her greenhouse. I don't know what exactly she means with a catastrophe but it sounded not very pleasant. And, before you ask, there is no other who is able to help in case something happens." Severus grumpled before he left the office without saying another word. In his eyes the whole world was unfair to him. He wanted to use this weekend simply to relax a bit and to reread some of his old potions books, but now he had to stay in the Hospital Wing in case something would happen.

Minerva stared at her closed door. She had known that he would not simply accept the fact of being in charge for four days, but there was no other choice. She sighed. She would have liked to do the job instead of writing something for the Ministry. It was always such a boring job and often she believed that nobody in the whole Ministry read her letters. Sometimes she even believed that no one there could even read, but she never complained – not in public anyway.

While she started to look for her parchment and a new quill, an owl arrived at her window and looked through the glas at her. First Minerva didn't see it, only when the bird made some noise that it didn't wish to stay there all day, Minerva noticed the presence. She opened the window and the now a bit angry bird flew onto her desk and waited impatiently for her to take the parcel from its leg. After Minerva had done so, the bird vanished as fast as it could with a furious sound and left Minerva with a little package in her hands.

She sat down behind her desk and wondered from whom this might come. There was no letter to it and no note visible. So she simply opened it to find herself confronted with some chocolates. She knew the sort. She had loved to eat it in her childhood. There had only been one man who was able to produce these sweets and all the children had adored him. But then he had died and Minerva had looked everywhere to find such good chocolates, but in vain. She would have never expected that someone knew of her passion for these, because she had never mentioned it to anybody. Even Albus didn't know about them.

But Minerva was unsure what to do and set them down on her desk to inspect them. She didn't know who might have send them to her and how that was possible at all. But then the clock behind her struck and reminded her on the pile of letters and reports she had to write. Minerva sighed and started her work, she would hadle with the chocolates later.

* * *

Severus sat in the Hospital Wing with a very bad mood. He had brought all his books but now when he wanted to read them, he found that there was an uncomfortable atmosphere. He had always hated the Hospital Wing. Even as a student he had disliked it so much that he had preferred to die instead of coming here voluntary.

No matter which position he chose, he felt always uncomfortable and later he gave up hope to read his books. So he went to the cupboards full of potions and herbs, all of them sorted by Poppy herself. She would never allow anybody to bring disorder in her beloved system and Severus was not at all tempted to have an argument with the medi witch later on. So he decided to look out of the window. Although it was still afternoon, it had become dark outside. Severus saw the light in Hagrid's hut and the one in the greenhouse. He wondered what plant it would be that prevented Professor Sprout from doing this stupid job.

Feeling completely bored, Severus decided to take a stroll down to the greenhouse to look what was happening there. Later – he planned in his head – he would ask Minerva, if she played a game of chess with him. He always liked their weekly games. It was not an easy task to win and often she was the winner. But sometimes he had the luck with him and bet her. He had been more than happy when Minerva had told him, that he was a better player than Albus – not that he had mentioned to her, how much this comment meant to him. Minerva had always been a special point in Severus' life. He couldn't tell exactly why, but he liked her. He liked their chess matches, their arguments, their bets for Quidditch, the way how she drove him up the wall sometimes. Severus knew, that he would feel lonely if she was no longer around him. That was a strange thought that had haunted him many nights, but he said nothing about it to anyone.

Now Severus made his way down to the greenhouse to look what was going on there. He knew plants and all what had to do with them were not Minerva's world and so he hadn't asked her any more questions about the subject, but he was curious. There had been a package of new seeds for Professor Sprout two weeks ago and it seemed that know was the time to look, what had developed. Maybe he could use whatever it was for some of his potions. So Severus left the Hospital Wing hoping that there would be no emergency in the time of his absence.

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	2. About Snow, Pain and Colours

The Right Cure 

Author: Leta McGotor

My thanks to** Bunny With Bad Acupuncture, Lady Henrietta, Lady Nerva, Laurel **and** Miss-eoWyn** for reviewing

Chapter 2 **About Snow, Pain and Colours**

It was nearing midnight when Minerva McGongall looked up from her last report for the Ministry and stared sleepily out of the window. It was a clear night and the stars were visible all over the sky. It was about time, too, that the weather had changed. It had snowed for days and days until Hogwarts was nearly completely swallowed by the white mass. It had been difficult to transfer the students out of here and they had been lucky to have managed this at all. Today as the day before no one would have had the chance to go away from the school, no matter which way he or she tried.

Minerva sighed while watching to her clock. She hadn't realised how fast the time had run, but now from one second to the other she felt her stiff back and a headache on its way. Carefully she stowed her papers away and then looked at her tin of cakes. She had been sure that she must have eaten a dozen of them at least, but now she noticed that the tin had not been opened at all. Instead she stared at the little package of chocolates. She had eaten nearly half the package without realising that she had eaten something at all. She scolded herself for such a stupidy and then yawned. It was really late and she hadn't slept the last nichts, so she was more than simply tired.

She grabbed the package of the chocolates and stowed them away as well. Afterwards she wanted to prepare for bed but when she went to her bedroom there was a sudden pain, which shot through her whole body. It hadn't gone completely when a second wave of pain hit her and Minerva sank to the floor, shaking. What was going on?

* * *

Severus had entered the greenhouse after he had fought his way through the high mass of snow. Opening the door he was completely out of breath. Straightening himself again and taking a deep breath he looked around. The first part of the greenhouse looked quite normal compared to its usually appearance. But after he had done a few steps Severus was greeted buy strange noises and when he turned around a corner he found himself confronted with something you would call a wild party. There were different coloured lights and someone was singing, others were laughing, to sum it up they were all celebrating something. Severus' only problem with it was, that those someones were no human beings or something similar but plants.

They were hardly higher than one metre. Their roots consisted of five to eight main ropes and they used them like feet. Most of them had two long branches which nearly reached the floor and they used them as there arms. Something that looked like grass was their hair and the strange forms underneath it seemed to be the face. All those plants were different coloured. There were red ones but also some shades of green, blue, yellow, orange and Severus also saw one or two which seemed to be silver. Between all those plants Severus spotted Professor Sprout hurrying from one spot to another pulling this plant with her and pushing another gainst the next one.

"What is all this about?" Severus asked after a few of the plants had danced around him, visibly happy that there was someone else for their celebration, and chatted in strange noises.

"O Severus, it's you. What a luck you are here. I don't know what to do. There are so many of them, you see, and I have only two hands and I can't be everywhere at the same time." She said clearly out of breath.

"But what's that?"

"You know that I ordered some seeds in summer? Now, they have arrived nearly two weeks ago and now they are old enough for their parties. That's their first one and I hadn't expected them to be so early. Therefore I was not prepared for it to happen this weekend."

"Plants and parties?"

"Yes, you see. These are Brazilian Colour-Catcher, short the BCC's. There are several kinds of them, distinguishable by their colours. At their parties they try to reproduce – that's not my problem –but the different kinds mustn't get mixed up, or something like that will happen." She gestured towards three or four plants. One of them was green with yellow stripes all over it, another was blue with yellow and red points. "Imagine they get mixed up… a catastrophe! Severus, you must help me to divide this mass of plants into their kinds. I have already started. The red ones are meant to be in greenhouse one and the blue ones…" She continued to explain him her system of preventing the BCC's to mix up.

Severus had never seen something like that before. He hadn't intended to help here when he had decided to come down, but now he had no chance of getting away. So he helped Professor Sprout with the plants and that took a long time to manage. When they had finally finished their task Severus sat down on a very old and nearly broken down chair.

"Oh Severus, thank you for your help. I would not have known how to handle them on my own." Professor Sprout said clearly happy that all had worked so well. "But why have you come down originally? I believed you were occupied with handling the Hospital Wing."

"Y-yes." Severus answered a little bit uncomfortabel. He had completely forgotten abot the Hospital Wing. He swore under his breath before he got up. "I'll go then. But it's possible that I'm going to use some of these plants for my potions."

"I would not know which potions need extracts from BCC's but that is your job, anyway. I hope nothing has happened while I had you for help. It would be terrible if there was a student looking for help and there is no one."

"Minerva is still around, isn't she?"

"Yes, you are right, but nevertheless you should be going now." She pushed him out of her greenhouse and closed the door firmly behind him.

Severus made his way back to the castle through the snow again. This time it was easier because there was still the way he had made by coming here. He looked up and saw that there was still light in Minerva's room. He looked at his watch. It was past midnight – clearly too late for a good game of chess – and in his opinion Minerva should stop with her paperwork as well. He shrugged and made his way up to the Hospital Wing, where he would stay over the next few nights. He would visit Minerva the next day, hoping that she had finished her letters and reports by then. Not only would she have time then to play some good matches of chess against him but he could try to convince her to take over his job with the Hospital Wing.

While Severus thought about a strategy how to lure Minerva in such a situation, he closed the door to the ward and yawned. The adventure with the plants had clearly exhausted him. He didn't know that in another part of the castle there was someone who had a clearly more uncomfortabel night before her.

**Reviews? Questions? Anything else? – Just write me whatever you like.**


	3. About Stench, Blisters and Books

The Right Cure 

Author: Leta McGotor

My thanks to**LinZE, Digital Damita, Jade1982, HerbyXX120, Lady Henrietta, Madge622, **and** Miss-eoWyn **for reviewing. It's great that you all like my story and I hope this chapter fulfills your expectations.

Chapter 3 **About Stench, Blisters and Books**

Severus awoke with a start the next early morning. He looked at his watch and saw that it was barely 4 o'clock. He sat up in bed and wondered what had woken him, because it had been so sudden. Not coming to a conclusion he lay down again and closed his eyes, but sleep wouldn't come again. So Severus stood up and decided that it was better to start the day early instead of getting a terrible backache while lying in bed and staring at the next wall.

Half an hour later Severus sat in the Hospital Wing, a toast in his one hand and one of his favourite books in the other. A steaming hot cup of tea stood next to him on the windowsill – he had decided the day before, that the place at the window was indeed the most comfortable one in the whole yard. It was dark outside and there was no sign of dawn yet. At least the snow storm had stopped, so hopefully it all had melted away when spring began.

From time to time Severus looked up and out of the window when he had finished the one or other chapter. How boring the grounds could be when nobody was in them. Suddenly he jumped and his cup fell to the floor with a loud shattering noise, which wasn't audible because of Severus' swears.

"What do you think you are doing there?", he spat aggravated at the little Charms Professor in front of him.

"I didn't think you were up yet…", stammered little Professor Flitwick clearly horrified that someone like Severus Snape could be angry with him addionally to his very bad mood.

"And why are you here then?"

"I should wake you. Pomona said it was an emergency."

"How can such idiots manage it to hurt themselves over night? Which student is it?"

"Oh, it's no student, it's Minerva. Pomona said she is very ill and you should come immediately…"

"And you tell me now?" Severus said and grabbed his things before hurrying to the door. He didn't know what to expect but he knew for sure that it had to be really bad. Minerva wouldn't let it happen easily that someone fussed about her if it was not a real emergency. Barely five minutes later Severus arrived at Minerva's rooms, closely followed by Professor Flitwick who was clearly out of breath. The door stood slightly ajar and so Severus stepped in. A strange smell, not to say stench, greeted him.

"Urgh… what's that?"

"Severus, thank Heaven you are here. I don't know what it is but it comes definitely from those blisters. I had to do with my plants,you know, and I wondered that here was still light…" Professor Sprout trailed off looking helplessly at Severus and gesturing at the person next to her on the floor.

Severus kneeled down beside her and the look that greeted him was horrible. Minerva McGongall lay on the floor in her office. Professor Sprout had already turned her on her back. Her eyes were closed, her face and hands were sweaty. She breathed very heavily and her whole body was shaking violently. If all those were not indikators enough that something was definitely very wrong, the purple-greenish blisters which were to be seen beneath her closes and which created the terrible smell, were.

"Minerva? Minerva?" Severus tried to speak with her, but Professor McGongall didn't open her eyes. So Severus touched her cheek slightly and felt that her skin was hot enough to cook an egg with it. He tried again.

"Minerva? Minerva, can you hear me? It's me, Severus. Minerva?" She gave a slight moan, barely audible to anyone, but Severus had heard. He turned to the other two in the room who had watched him and his patient tensely.

"You look for a tub filled with ice… now, it's urgent. We need to cool her. And you go to the Hospital Wing. There are a few books lying on the table. There is one with the title… I don't know at the moment. But it's an old book with a dark green leathery cover. The title is something with medieval poisons… Go, what are you waiting for?"

The two professors turned on their heels and vanished through the door. Severus returned his attention to Minerva who still lay on the floor.

"What is it, Minerva? It must be a poison, I'm sure I have read something similiar once, but I don't know whether it is the same. I have never dealt with such kind of poison before in person, I have only heard about it. If I only knew how you have taken it… then maybe I could analyse it better…" He looked around. There was no sign of something to eat or drink other than her usual biscuits.

Severus stood up and examined the tin carefully, but after he had found no sign of a poison there he returned to his patient on the floor and started to remove her hairpins and shoes. He hoped Flitwick and Sprout would be quick. It seemed that Minerva's temperature was rising still.

* * *

Professor Sprout had hurried off to the Hospital Wing. Arriving there she looked around frantically for the books. Immediately she found the table Severus had mentioned to her and looked through the books. There were several kinds of them, mostly very old ones and nearly all of them were bound in leather. So she decided to look for the right colour, but after that there were still three books left. She looked at the titles, but none of it mentioned poisons or medieval. Severus had to have the book somewhere else, but where?

She looked around hoping to find another stack with books or a hint at least where especially this book could be. Professor Sprout was in a right shock. She had never seen such an… well, such an illness before. She was glad that Severus had taken the lead of the whole situation. She would not have known what to do.

Finally Professor Sprout turned around and spotted the broken cup lying on the floor. Severus hadn't repaired it when Filius Flitwick had told him about the emergency and so it still lay there and the tea left a big spot on the floor and some tiny ones on the tapestry. But this didn't matter to Pomona Sprout right at the moment, for there, on the windowsill, lay a book. It was bound in green leather and looked very old. A few pages hung at odd angles out of it. Professor Sprout seized the book without mercy and looked at the title. "_Medieval Poisons – The Way to Power"_ it read. Professor Sprout nearly jumped out of joy and turned on her heels, hoping that she now hold the solution to Minerva's myterious illness in her hands.

**Reviews? Questions? Anything else? – Just write me whatever you like.**


	4. About Fear, Potions and Hourglasses

The Right Cure 

Author: Leta McGotor

My thanks to **Lady Henrietta, LinZE, OxOxhorsesxOxO, Lynna.4 **and** Miss-eoWyn **for reviewing. It's great that you all like my story and I hope this chapter fulfills your expectations. Also thanks for the advices.

Chapter 4 **About Fear, Potions and Hourglasses**

It was quiet in the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, at least outside. The sun had risen and was now shining over the white mass of snow which covered everything like a second skin. The snow twinkled brightly like diamonds in the sun. There was no wind, but no birds and other animals, either, that could have made any noise. It seemed that the time stood still and all were asleep until the spring decided to come again and wake everybody and everything with its light touch.

In the greatest part of the castle it was the same, but there were a few rooms, where was quite an uproar in it. For once there were certain corridors. Professor Sprout could have been seen in the early hours of the day hurrying through them with an old book in her hands. Then there was tiny Professor Flitwick who hurried to the next bath as if a dragon was chasing after him and then there were still the rooms themselves. One of those rooms was the office of Minerva McGongall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts.

Minerva lay still on the floor when Filius Flitwick dashed back into the room, completely out of breath and gesturing wildly that the tub with the cold water (A/N: Thanks here to LinZE who informed me kindly that an ice bath could put someone in shock) was ready. Severus had removed her outer robes, her shoes, hairpins and most of the other things she wore. Severus had never known what an amount of clothes a woman can wear and so he was slightly irritated by Pomona Sprout who hastily exclaimed that she had found the book.

The three professors now made their way down to the nearest bath, that Flitwick had chosen. Severus was carefully carrying Minerva. No one of them spoke. They were all worried about Minerva. She hadn't opened her eyes in the meantime and her breath was even heavier than before. Severus didn't want to think about it. He hoped that they were not already to late and that he would be able to help her. If he could not help her, who could? There was no healer or other potions master around and even Albus Dumbledore, normally the last hope, was far away. So Minerva's life depended on his skills and his greatest fear was it to fail.

Arriving at the bath Pomona Sprout got carefully rid of Minerva's remaining clothes. During her work she stopped several times, because she discovered more and more of those blisters and sometimes she was afraid she had hurt Minerva when she moaned. Filius Flitwick stood in one of the corners of the room, nervously twisting one of his sleeves and glancing back and forth between Minerva, Pomona and Severus. Severus had sat down in the meantime, looking through the pages of his book. It was indeed a very old book. He had found it in his youth in an old library in London. But then the library had closed and most of the books should be destroyed. So Severus had rescued it and since then it had belonged to him.

"I'm ready. What do we now with her? Do you think this will help?", asked Pomona Sprout the two men in the room. Filius Flitwick looked at her nervously.

"I don't know. The snow storm has stopped. Maybe we could try to inform St Mongo's. They will know what to do there. Don't you think so, Severus?"

"No."

"What does that mean?" asked Professor Sprout.

"That is a word consisting of two letters. It is hardly possible that someone can't catch the meaning." He snarled before looking at the next page.

"I know what the word means.", answered Professor Sprout with a light flush in her face. "But why do you think that the Healers won't know how to help her."

"It's an ancient poison and there are hadly people who know about it and it's unlikely that we find someone of them at St Mongo's. We have to deal with it on our own. See here." He said suddenly. "I have found it… Yes, like I thought…"

"What is it?" asked Professor Flitwick coming closer so that he maybe could have a look.

"It's a complicated poison and I can't loose any time to brew it. But I need a few things first. Pomona, look. Do you have anything of these in your greenhouses?"

"Yes, yes, yes and… oh that will be hard, but yes. And oh, look here. You need an extract from a silver BCC, how exciting and…" She stopped suddenly, because Minerva had groaned and moved a bit. The three professors rushed to her side, when she opened here eyes slightly.

"Minerva? Can you here me?" Severus asked quietly.

"Mmmpfh."

"It will be all right." Assurred Pomona Sprout shakily.

"Minerva, what have you eaten. I have to know it." Minerva opened her eyes a bit wider and the other three professors gasped in surprise. The livid green of Minerva's eyes had gone. Instead they had a cold silvery colour. Minerva gulped for air when she tried to speak, but it cost too much strenght and she closed her eyes again. Professor Sprout looked aghast to Severus.

"And… and now?"

"Hurry" was the only thing Severus answered before he turned on his heels and rushed down the stairs towards his office. In his head was already a plan, that told him where the needed ingrediants were or how he had to prepare them. Pomona Sprout left the room shortly afterwards. Nearly running she arrived at her greenhouses.

Hardly half an hour later Severus Snape and Pomona Sprout arrived again in the bathroom, where Filius Flitwick watched over Minerva McGonagall.

"How is she now?" Professor Flitwick shook his head sadly.

"Not better, worse I would say. Sometimes she has tried to say something but I couldn't catch the words. She is still unconscious and shows no signs that this will change soon."

"I'm ready with my preparations but it's hard. I have to give her this yellow potion here every hour and when I have added the extract of the BCC, she has to drink this silvery potion here every half hour. With this third one I have to treat those blisters every 45 minutes. This fourth potion, yes, the blue one, she has to smell every second hour. I know it sounds a bit complicated but it's the only way."

"Stop it, Severus. Okay, this potion she has to drink every hour… no wait… that was the blue one… the green was the one with the blisters, I suppose?"

"No, the other one here." Interrupted Professor Flitwick.

"Stop. I will give them to her and you two go into her office. Somewhere there has to be the thing she ate or drank, there has to be. The final potion, which I have to give her in a few hours needs a drop or a crump of whatever it is. If you are not able to find it, it will be useless and the other potions will kill her, because they are poisons themselves. Without that final potion she will die, so hurry up. Find whatever it is, no matter how tiny. I need only a little crump or a tiny drop."

"We are on our way, Severus."

"If you are not sure with something, bring it to me. I can say whether it is right or not. But hurry, the time is running up."

With these words Severus Snape put five different hourglasses in front of him. They had all a different size and colour for the different potions he had to give Minerva. So there was a yellow, a silvery, a green and a blue one. The fifth hourglas was the biggest of the five and seemed to contain no coloured sand but something like a colourless liquid, which started to drop immediately after Severus had turned it. Pomona Sprout and Flilius Flitwick left the room in a run, hoping they would find whatever it was that they were looking for.

Severus sighed and added the extract of BCC to the silvery potion. It made a hissed sound, turned a light shade of red and then became silver again. He put it to the other potions and a few clothes he had brought for the blisters. Then he looked up and into Minerva's face. Swallowing the large knot in his throat Severus started his treatment, not sure whether Minerva would survive this or not.

**Reviews? Questions? Anything else? – Just write me whatever you like.**


	5. About Searches, Black points and Mistake

The Right Cure 

Author: Leta McGotor

My thanks to **Lady Henrietta, Laurel, Madge622** and** Miss-eoWyn **for reviewing. It's great that you all like my story and I hope this chapter fulfills your expectations. After it there is only one chapter left.

I know I have kept you waiting, but I have an explanation for it. You see I had to stay at home, because I had an operation. Now I'm back in school and of couse the teachers haven't waited for me. So I had much to do in the last days and when I had indeed finished with school work for one day I was too exhausted to even write a single word. I hope you can forgive me.

Chapter 5 **About Searches, Black Points and Mistakes**

It was hard to have a constant look at all the hourglasses and at his patient too. But Severus managed this task very well. His whole body reacted to the tense situation he and especially Minerva were in. His thoughts came as twice as fast and his whole body wanted to do something. So from time to time, when there was no potion he had to give to Minerva and he didn't keep a constant eye on her, he paced back and forth in the room, sat down and jumped to his feet again.

Severus Snape was nervous, not only nervous but restless. Sometimes when he looked at the glasses it seemed that the sand in them dropped so slowly that he could watch every tiny crump of it falling down. At other times he watched panicstricken how fast the time was running, especially when he thought about the last potion he had to give Minerva and where the last ingrediant was still missing. He wondered what Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick were doing the whole time. Surely they would not really need all this time to find the thing Minerva had eaten or drunken.

He returned to his patient. With a cloth he wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and felt for her pulse – it was racing. Again he looked at the last hourglas, which told him when he had to give Minerva the final potion. He knew it couldn't be long now. The other potions were all poisons themselves and of course they already worked. He prayed that Pomona Sprout or Filius Flitwick would come through the door every moment now.

But Professors Sprout and Flitwick were far away from going through this door. They were still in the office of Minerva McGonagall and they were still searching without a break for the poisoned thing Minerva had eaten or drunken.

"I don't know where else to look for it." Said Filius Flitwick coming from the direction of the balcony with emty hands and a desperate expression. "I have looked twice everywhere but there is nothig. What will happen if there is nothing left of whatever it was?"

"Then it's Minerva's death sentence. We have to continue and if it's the last thing we do." Flitwick sighed and turned on his heels.

"I will look there again. Maybe I will find something now." But he sounded not very enthusiastic.

* * *

Severus turned one of the hourglasses again. Another one he had already taken from the table. He had finished with that potion and soon the others would also be finished. He sighed and sat down next to Minerva. He looked in her face. She hadn't moved at all in the last hour and he had controlled so often her breathing that it felt nearly ridiculous, but it had calmed him down. If he could only do something more for her… 

He stood up again and paced through the room. After some moments he stopped at the window. The sun had risen now completely and the sky promised that it would be a really fine day. Severus cursed. How could the sun shine so innocentlyand happy from above while here someone fought her battle with the death? He sighed again and turned around, but in this moment a black point at the sky cought his eye and he looked up.

The something – whatever it was – was flying and coming nearer to the castle. After a short amount of time the little black point became bigger and bigger. Shortly afterwards it changed its form. Barely five minutes later Severus recognised the black point as a coach. He wrinkled his forhead. What could that mean – a flying coach without any trace of a horse, a hippogrif or something else that could pull it? Then Severus had an idea and his mood changed immediately. Maybe there was still hope.

* * *

"What if she has eaten or drunken it somewhere else? Maybe we should ask in the kitchen if she has ordered something." 

"But if she ordered indeed something, the elves would have put the poison in her food. I don't believe that this is very realistic. Why should an elve try to kill one of us, especially Minerva who was always kind to them. No, that makes no sense."

"Maybe someone put the poison in it after the elves had left and Minerva wasn't in the room yet?"

"So someone within the castle tried to kill Minerva? The next thing you tell me is that it was probably Mrs. Norris who put it there, right? Where and when did you got such a bright fantasy?"

"I only try to find out what might have happened. I never said that it was this way."

"But it sounded so and we don't have the time for such nonsense."

"You sound like Minerva now and if you have a better idea why don't you do it then?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't intent to hurt you… I… I'm just frightened that we will not be able to find it in time."

"I know but there is still hope. Let us continue. I prefer to hear such comments rather from Minerva than from you."

"Right."

* * *

"You are our rescue." Severus said running down the steps in the front hall. 

"What do you mean with that? I haven't been away that long. Surely you won't have missed me that badly." He smiled but it vanished immediately when he saw the expression of the Potions Master. "Severus, what happened? And where is Minerva?"

"That's our problem. Come, I will tell on our way. I have to give another potion to her in two minutes." He turned around and climbed up the steps he had run down only mere seconds ago, the other man straight behind him.

"Minerva has eaten or drunken something that was poisoned. I give her already the antidote but the problem is that she can only survive with a special final potion. For this potion I need a drop or a crump of the poisoned thing. Pomona and Flilius are looking for it for quite a time now, but they haven't managed to find it. But there is only half an hour left until I have to give that potion to her or… or she… will die." He choked the last words out before he opened the door to the room Minerva was resting in.

The other man had followed him, deeply shoked about the bad news. When he entered the room he rushed through it in a hurry and stood next to Minerva. He bent down and examined her. He saw the blisters, noticed her weak breathing and the sweat in her face.

"Severus, what poison is it?" As an answer Severus gave him the book before he took one of the potions and gave it to Minerva. Suddenly Severus heard a strange noise behind him and turned around, startled by the suddeness.

"What happened?"

"It's my fault, Severus, my entire fault."

"What do you mean with that?"

"I gave the poisoned chocolates to her."

"The what? You?" Severus looked confused at the other man who had gone completely white. He stared disbelievingly at the page where the poison was described. For a short moment neither of them was speaking, then they turned around suddenly, because Minerva had done a horrible gulping noise behind Severus' back. He kneeled down beside her.

"I have to give her that potion." He said frantically.

**So, only one chapter left now -** **Reviews? Questions? Anything else? – Just write me whatever you like.**


	6. About Madnesses, Hurry and Chess

The Right Cure 

Author: Leta McGotor

My thanks to **GraciesMom, Motet, Madge622, Lynna.4, Lady Henrietta** and** Miss-eoWyn **for reviewing. It's great that you all like my story and I hope this chapter fulfills your expectations, although – maybe sadly – it is the last chapter.

Chapter 6 **About Madnesses, Hurry and Chess**

Sometimes the whole world seems to have gone completely mad. So, imagine you are a certain teacher at a certain school. It sounds all completely normal until here – right? – right. But then it happens to you that you realise that you have feelings for another teacher at that school – not only feelings, to be exact, you have fallen in love with that woman, although she is your rival in simply all and everything. That is one thing, where someone might say: "That is mad."

But then you have the problem that someone unknown has poisoned exactly that woman and that you are probably the only one able to rescue her life. The romantics would say now: "How romantic!" the others would say: "That is mad." Of course you do all possible (and impossible) to rescue her, because on the one hand she is the Deputy Headmistress and you would have a big problem if you didn't try to do so and on the other hand you love that woman.

At the same time you are confronted with different coloured plants that have nothing better to do than to throw a party in the greenhouse. "That is mad, isn't it?" But you are lucky and find the antidote, although you need one tiny extract to save her, that seemingly nobody can find. "That is mad!" Your hopes rise again when the only man you ever really trusted comes back to the school, only to explain that he, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of said school, defeater of Grindelwald and so on, was the one who poisoned your beloved woman. "Isn't it a mad world here, is it?"

So, I believe now you can imagine how Severus Snape was feeling at exactly this moment. He had given one of the last potions to Minerva while his brain worked feverishly. That couldn't be true. He had thought with the arrival of Albus Dumbledore he would have the key in his hands to heal Minerva and now he had to realise that his hope was nothing more than his problem.

"Again Albus, YOU poisoned her? Why? How?" He shook his head. He didn't know what else to say.

"I didn't want to poison her. See, when she was a girl she used to talk about certain chocolates and once she showed them to me. The man who had created them died a few years after that and no one could produce these chocolates. Minerva has looked everywhere. She often told me how disappointed she was about that fact. On my trip now I saw exactly these chocolates and I sent her a package, because I thought she would hex me if I didn't do it – you know her temper at times. I didn't know that they were poisoned. They are the only thing I can imagine what might have caused her this trouble."

Severus sighed and shook his head, not taking his eyes off the face of Minerva McGonagall. He couldn't say whether she was awake or asleep. She seemed to be somewhere in between. But he was glad that her breathing had calmed down a bit and that there was no mad murderer standing behind him.

"Pomona and Filius are looking for those chocolates. Of course they don't know that they are looking for them exactly… I wonder why they haven't found them yet. What do you think, where might she have put them? It can't be an obvious place because Pomona and Filius would have found them until now, wouldn't they?"

"Of course… of course.", Albus muttered thinking quickly.

"They have to be in her office, because it can't be a too long time between eating and collapsing."

"Right.", Albus answered lost in his thoughts.

"So, where are they?"

* * *

"I give up. Here is nothing, simply nothing. I can't imagine what it is or what she has done with it. I mean there has to be a trace of it somewhere here, hasn't there?" 

"Yes, but we have looked I don't know how often everywhere with maybe the exception of that one drawer. It's locked."

"I know. There are Minerva's most private things. Once I found her hiding something in there – a book or something like that – and I asked her why she locked that drawer. She told me that this was her place for things which were most important for her. She advised me not to ask any more questions because she wouldn't answer them and I didn't. But I don't believe that she has put something as normal as a sandwhich or a cup of tea in there."

"No, probably not. Why would she do something like that? You know how she is. All things have their own places. Sometimes I hoped I where so orderly. Maybe I would find my vanished clock. I haven't seen it in ages."

"Speaking of clocks and time – there are less than ten minutes now. What do we do?"

"We have to tell Severus that we haven't found anything useable."

"That is Minerva's end."

"I know… I know."

They turned around quickly when the door was suddenly pushed open and no other than Albus Dumbledore was rushing past them. He was in a great hurry. He neither looked at the two teachers nor did he say anything or gave an explanation. He nearly ran to the locked drawer Pomona Sprout and Flilius Flitwick had spoken about. Without hesitation he took a little silver key from his pocket and opened the drawer. Not even half a minute later he had vanished again. Flitwick and Sprout stared at each other.

"What was that?"

"I believe the Headmaster."

"Yes, and the rest?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Completely out of breath Albus arrived at the room where Severus was waiting impatiently for him. 

"I was right. The chocolates meant much for her because they reminded her on her childhood. They had always hold a great meaning for her."

Severus nodded, took one of the remaining chocoltes and put it in the last potion. From one second to the other the liquid changed its colour and became as black as the darkest of nights. Severus sighed and took the bottle.

"You are sure that this will work? The colour is…"

"Exactly as it should be." Without a second glance or another word Severus forced the potion down Minerva's throat.

* * *

"I really can't believe one single thing of that whole story, Severus. It sounds all so… so… mad."

"Do you know how it feels to go through all this?"

"No, I can't say I remember anything from that day or days or whatever it was. I can't even remember to receive the chocolates."

"I know. That's because of the potions." Severus said two days later while sitting on the edge of Minerva's bed in her private room. Minerva himself was also sitting in her bed, between the two was a half finished game of chess.

"Severus?" Minerva asked after she had taken one of his castles.

"Mmmpfh."

"Why did you do it?"

"What?"

"Why have you gone through so much trouble to save my life?"

"You said it yourself. I did it to save your life."

"But you needn't to. You could have alarmed St. Mungo's after the storm had stopped."

"There are only lunatics. No one of them would have known how to help you."

"Severus…" Minerva said and sounded so much like a teacher who asked a student why he had gone to the kitchen in the middle of the night.

"I… I… because I would have to play chess against myself if you had died. Logic, woman, logic."

"So, you would have missed me?" Severus closed his eyes. When Minerva had woken up after he had given her the potion, he had planned to tell her how much she really meant to him and how he had realised that fact during that time. But then Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick had turned up and it all had nearly ended in a disaster, because nobody had seemed to understand that it had been over with a happy end.

"Severus?"

"I… I would have missed you very much, Minerva, because… because…"

"Because the little voice in my head told me all along the truth?" Severus was confused. What did she mean?

"You have to know, Severus, and please don't understand it wrong or hate me for it, I… I have fallen in love with you some years ago and everytime I wanted to tell you I was less a Gryffindor than Salazar Slytherin. I had hoped that maybe one day you would feel the same and tell me about it. So I wouldn't have to do it." She smiled weakly in his direction, not knowing what to expect.

"Minerva, you are the craziest woman I ever met and I love you for that. The little voice in your head has been right." He leaned over and kissed her softly.

But now we don't want to interrupt the two of them any further – you know what I mean, right? So, I would advice you to accept the fact that sometimes only the right cure is needed to solve everything. You don't have to be a Potions Master or a Doktor for that, only be yourself and don't forget: "That is mad!"

**So, that was the last chapter, finally. I hope you enjoyed it. -****Reviews? Questions? Anything else? – Just write me whatever you like.**


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